


Love Doesn’t Discriminate

by LieutenantRose



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Again, Caring Davey, Idiots in Love, Jack gets hurt, M/M, fire escape, im really proud of this, jack gives davey anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:42:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21771655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LieutenantRose/pseuds/LieutenantRose
Summary: “Is that blood?“No?”“That’s not a question you’re supposed to answer with another question.”
Relationships: David Jacobs/Jack Kelly
Comments: 5
Kudos: 118





	Love Doesn’t Discriminate

It’s been a little over three months since the strike ended. The Jacobs kids had started school again, Mayer Jacobs’ arm was healed and he was working again, and then there was Jack Kelly. He was still out on the street selling papes just like before. Except this time, he was alone again. Without David, his days were long and seemed to drag on forever until night finally fell and he could sleep until the next horrendously long day. He trudged through his weeks, carrying the banner like always. But on Saturdays...well, Saturdays were the best days.

On Saturdays, David would put everything aside just to sell with Jack and hang out with the others. After selling at least 50 papes each, they’d head back to the Manhattan Lodging, laughing at terrible jokes, talking about life, and just enjoying the other’s company. When at the Lodging, they’d play poker with Racetrack. David would converse with Mush and Blink while Jack watched from afar with a fond smile on his face.

Specs had caught him staring once, and nudged Jack with his elbow, giving him a pointed and knowing look. All Jack did was mumble a quick “shut up.”

Sometimes, Jack would make his way up a specific fire escape, and tap on the glass of a specific window. The person on the other side of the glass would open their window and Jack would climb through. They’d sit and talk all until it would’ve been time to wake up if they were sleeping. If David was sleep deprived for a few days at a time and falling asleep in the middle of his Literature studies, no one said anything. And if Jack showed up to buy his daily 100 papes a little later than usual, no one said anything about that either.

It was around the end of October when the familiar tapping sounded on David’s bedroom window. David smiles to himself and gently closed his Mathematics textbook. He hoisted himself up onto his feet and walked over to the window, opening it.

“Well, if it isn’t the infamous Jack Kelly, leader of the Newsboys’ Strike, coming through my window for the fifth night in a row. I’m flattered.” David joked. Jack smiled, but it wasn’t his real, genuine smile he always had when they talked, David noticed. The smile was tight-lipped and strained.

“Heya, Davey.” David pulled Jack into a hug. Jack tried his best not to make a sound, but the small gasp he made was enough for David to be concerned. David pulled back from the hug instantly.

“Jack, what’s wrong?”

“Nothin’, Davey. Ise just a little sore from walkin’ all day, y’know.”

“Jackie, tell me the truth.” David tried the nickname he had given Jack a month prior, hoping to get through to the cowboy. He saw Jack’s tough facade break, that’s when he knew he had gotten through to the stubborn man.

“Ise just a little roughed up. Had a run in wit da not so good street rats. Ain’t nothin you gotta worry ‘bout, Dave.” Jack supplied. David didn’t believe him. David turned on the light in his bedroom, just to see quickly for himself. He flicked his eyes over Jack’s body, from his head to his toes. As he raked his eyes back up to Jack’s face, he caught a glimpse of the color red staining the side of his white button up.

“Is that blood?” David asked, gesturing to Jack’s left side. Jack stayed quiet for a few seconds, and looked at his side.

“No?” Jack responded. David rolled his eyes.

“That’s not a question you’re supposed to answer with another question.”

Jack stays silent, looking at the ground in shame. He raises his head and looks Davey in the eyes. “Yeah, it’s blood, Dave. Ise guess I gots a little more rouged up than I says.”

“Tell me what happened after I clean it, okay?”

“Okay, Davey.”

David scurries to the bathroom to grab his mother’s emergency medical kit. He can’t help but let his mind wander. He thinks of how Jack came to his apartment instead of finding help. He thinks about how things would be different if he had gotten roughed up worse than he is now. Would David have seen him again if he wasn’t still walking? David shook that thought out of his mind and walked back to his bedroom. Jack was sitting on the edge of his bed, seeming lost in thought.

“Hey,” Jack jumped a little, startled by David’s return. The movement sent a flash of pain throughout Jack’s body, causing him to wince. David hurried to his side and set the kit down while maneuvering onto his knees. “Can you lift your shirt for me?”

Jack slowly untucked the white button-up from his pants and rolled it up toward his chest. David tried not to look at his body and focus on the wound. David’s hands were shaking as he cautiously cleaned around the gash. He heard the strangled breaths Jack was taking. He noticed the way Jack flinched when David’s hands touched his wound. He noticed the way Jack’s eyes glassed over when he stitched the gash, ready to let tears flow free.

“There, you’re all good. Now, are you going to tell me what happened? How you ended up like this?” David asks quietly, as if he’s talking to a startled animal. Jack stood up from the bed.

“Well, uh...Ise was sellin’ papes, just like usual, y’know. Ise making my way to this side of ‘Hattan when I seen some Newsies from Queens. They’s was on our turf, so I politely told the to head back to their turf. They gots angry. They’s was yellin’, causin’ a scene. I was asking’ ‘em to leave again when one pulled a switchblade on me. He lunged then they ran off. Then I came here, to you, instead of gettin’ help.”

David was stunned. He thought again about why Jack would come see him instead of getting help.

“Why would you come here? You couldn’t have know that I would have a medical kit here, Jack. Why would you come to me and risk your life, instead of getting help?”

“Cause I would rather spend my last moments with you, than gettin’ fixed up just to die anyway. Was just luck that yous knew how to fix me up.” Jack said, an earnest looks shining through his brown eyes. Those eyes David loves so much. The eyes that were rich like chocolate. The eyes that were soft as fur when they were happy. The eyes that became as cold and hard as the rocks that ships shattered against in storms when they were mad. David couldn’t take it anymore. He knew it was now or never.

“You gotta stop doing that.” 

“What? Being stupid?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

“Saying things that make me want to kiss you.”

“Well...no one is stopping you from kissing me.”

David reachesdup and cupped Jack face in his hands. Their eyes locked, holding onto each other like a lifeline. Jack’s eyes flickered down to David’s lips, and David leaned in. Jack met him in the middle.

The kiss wasn’t needy or aggressive. It was soft and calm, inevitable. Jack moved his hands down to David’s hips and pulled him closer. There was something there, not necessarily a spark, but the knowledge of their love for each other. The feeling of belonging and acceptance. The feeling of coming home after a long journey. They were aware of all the dangers of having something like this, but in that moment, the both decided that if this killed them, at least they would die together.

They had to pull away eventually, because if they wanted to do this again, they need oxygen, so they pulled away, breathing heavily. They looked at each other intently. They let out soft laughs, and smiled. David rested his forehead against Jack’s and closed his eyes.

“You snuck up on me, Jack Kelly. I never expected someone like you to waltz right into my life, but you did. And I’m so in love with you.”

“Y’know I ain’t good wit words, but I’m in love with yous, too.”

“For sure?”

“For sure.”

The End

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in a day. This is probably the first story I’ve been proud of enough to post in a while. So I hope you enjoyed this story! If you did, please leave kudos and comments. If you have any suggestions for me, feel free to leave them below! Thanks everyone! Love you all!


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